Manning, Snowden far from heroes

Robert Meeropol's statement, "What Manning did was to reveal the truth of our government's actions to the American people and the world," disregards the traitorous nature of his actions.

Pvt. Bradley Manning and Edward Snowden took a government oath and voluntarily signed Department of Defense form No. 312, "Classified Information Nondisclosure Agreement" required of all military and Department of Defense personnel handling classified information and documents. See www.fas.org/sgp/isoo/new_ sf312.pdf.

In that agreement (summarized for brevity): "Unauthorized disclosure, retention, or negligent handling of classified information by me could cause damage or irreparable injury to the United States or could be used by any foreign nation ... I hereby agree I will never divulge classified information to anyone ... unless I have been given written notice or authorization from the United States Government Department or Agency. ... I understand I am obligated to comply with laws and regulations that prohibit unauthorized disclosure. ... No one is compelled to sign this form and government officials sign of their own free will."

These laws protect our country's vital secrets and protect its citizens. Any military personnel or Department of Defense employee who divulges these documents without proper authority during times of war or conflict is committing an act of treason. These individuals have done serious damage to our intelligence system, caused deaths in the Middle East and put our country in further danger.

As a former United States Marine who had a security clearance, these people are traitors and deserve the maximum penalty under the law.